Ride home for Thursday, 28 February

Snow again on the way home. Bryan Henry is predicting gas prices will be the same tomorrow +/- 2c. With the change in driver behaviour I was hoping for a bit more of a rise to keep the momentum going but I'll take what I can get. The roads were still fairly quiet, and I saw several other bike commuters on the road, too.

Distance logged: 11.760km
Time: 45:53
Average speed: 15.4km/hr
Max speed: 38.5 km/hr
Temperature: -3C, light snow
Cumulative distance: 1246.470km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.1
Monthly distance: 610.148km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Thursday, 28 February

There was a dusting of snow so I decided to take the fire trail in. The roads were slight less quiet than yesterday, so there's definitely an element of fair weather commuting going on. The long term forecast for next week is looking fairly warm but with a lot of precipitation, so it'll be interesting to see how that pans out.

Distance logged: 11.156km
Time: 38:57
Average speed: 17.2km/hr
Max speed: 47.2 km/hr
Temperature: -4C, light snow
Cumulative distance: 1234.710km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.1
Monthly distance: 598.388km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride home for Wednesday, 27 February

Enjoyable ride home without needing to bundle up quite so much. The traffic was, as with this morning, lighter but not as light as it's been the past couple of days. Watching the price of oil it looks to be continuing its trend upwards, so I suspect gas prices with nudge up 2-3 cents or so. With the weather looking to warm up next week perhaps more people will be encouraged to come out of their car...

Distance logged: 13.327km
Time: 51:11
Average speed: 15.6km/hr
Max speed: 40.9 km/hr
Temperature: 5C, patchy clouds
Cumulative distance: 1223.554km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.1
Monthly distance: 587.232km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Wednesday, 27 February

Down to Bedford for my weekly physio session. Came back up Kearney Lake, through the subdivisions, and worked my way onto Lacewood where I followed a rider who looked like Eric - or at least, he was wearing a blue jacket, which Eric was, if I saw him correctly in my mirror.

Still lighter traffic on the roads, though not quite as light - I suspect the weather may have encouraged a few less hardy souls back into their car.

Distance logged: 31.412km
Time: 99:59
Average speed: 18.9km/hr
Max speed: 52.5 km/hr
Temperature: 3C-7C, intermittent rain
Cumulative distance: 1210.227km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.1
Monthly distance: 573.905km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride home for Tuesday, 26 February

Still fewer cars on the road, if anything there were less than yesterday. There was even a cyclist behind me on Bayer's Road, which I don't recall ever happening before. General consensus seems to be the gas price is starting to bite...

Distance logged: 11.764km
Time: 43:04
Average speed: 16.2km/hr
Max speed: 38.2 km/hr
Temperature: 3C
Cumulative distance: 1178.815km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.1
Monthly distance: 542.493km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Tuesday, 26 February

The reduction in the number of cars seems to be continuing, and I saw more people on foot as well. Many of the pedestrians did not look, to be polite, like they were regular walkers, either.

Distance logged: 11.172km
Time: 36:07
Average speed: 18.6km/hr
Max speed: 52.1 km/hr
Temperature: -4C
Cumulative distance: 1167.051km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.1
Monthly distance: 530.729km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride home for Monday, 25 February

I don't know if there was a major accident somewhere in Halifax, or if a lot of drivers simply decided not to drive after the gas price increase last Friday, but the roads were about half as full as they normally are. In addition, there were an amazing number of polite and (possibly over-) considerate drivers; I even had drivers coming to a stop for me to turn left into roads, which is pretty much unheard of! I went to the butcher's and talked with Lynn there (she also doesn't drive) and she commented that the parking lot was significantly emptier than usual too. It'll be interesting to see if this continues for the rest of the week...

Distance logged: 13.368km
Time: 49:38
Average speed: 16.2km/hr
Max speed: 41.2 km/hr
Temperature: 2C, cloudy
Cumulative distance: 1155.879km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.1
Monthly distance: 519.557km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Monday, 25 February

No ride to the farmers' market at the weekend as we got dumped on with snow, and the plough didn't get to our area to almost mid-day. I ended up walking to Sobey's instead and sighed quietly to myself at the poor quality and selection, not being willing to fork out for the horribly expensive imported produce.

That said, the ploughs had done a stellar job by this morning. Every road was cleared down to the tarmac, and the fire trail was ploughed for the whole length - it almost looked like someone had been out there with a snowblower!

Distance logged: 11.186km
Time: 35:49
Average speed: 18.7km/hr
Max speed: 54.1 km/hr
Temperature: -7C, sunny
Cumulative distance: 1142.511km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.11
Monthly distance: 506.189km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride home for Friday, 22 February

Distance logged: 12.513km
Time: 43:26
Average speed: 17.3km/hr
Max speed: 41.2 km/hr
Temperature: -3C
Cumulative distance: 1131.325km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.11
Monthly distance: 495.003km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Friday, 22 February

Distance logged: 10.983km
Time: 33:35
Average speed: 19.6km/hr
Max speed: 51.7 km/hr
Temperature: -13C
Cumulative distance: 1118.812km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.11
Monthly distance: 482.490km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride home for Thursday, 21 February

Went to the butcher's on the way home and I was amused to see the massive lineup of cars waiting to fill up at the gas station before the regulated price changes tomorrow. I'm sure the 50 cents or so these people saved was lost while sitting there idling burning gas and wearing out the engine. I'm sure it would be interesting to figure out how much money people saved in terms of their time, giving what I suspect would be a somewhat low figure per hour...

Distance logged: 13.355km
Time: 51:16
Average speed: 15.6km/hr
Max speed: 38.5 km/hr
Temperature: -7C, sunny
Cumulative distance: 1107.829km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.11
Monthly distance: 471.507km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Thursday, 21 February

The fire trail along Park West School has been completely churned up by all the foot traffic, and now it's frozen in place... Maybe next time it rains heavily it'll resettle it a bit.

Distance logged: 10.971km
Time: 32:39
Average speed: 20.2km/hr
Max speed: 50.5 km/hr
Temperature: -11C, sunny
Cumulative distance: 1094.474km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.11
Monthly distance: 458.152km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride home for Thursday, 21 February

Rode down to the HCC meeting. There was a pretty good turnout, and I spent a large part of the evening frantically scribbling out receipts for memberships. We ran out of receipts and ended up taking some flip chart paper, cutting it into receipt sized slips, and writing out receipts by hand. The unofficial count was, I think, 67 members, and I have a thick sheaf of membership forms to sort through this weekend to confirm. Interestingly enough there was a request to have meetings on a monthly basis; maybe in summer we could have an outdoor meeting somewhere, which would make a good change.

There was much discussion of the CN rail spur land purchase to create a new trail, and a paper copy of the petition was circulated and well filled out. Crossed fingers this will go through - it would be great to be able to get downtown safely, although a way to avoid the mess that is Bayer's Lake Industrial Park would be nice.

There were students sitting outside the building when I left watching the start of the lunar eclipse; it was almost occluded when I got home, about half an hour later - I suspect they were probably a little on the chilly side by that point!

Distance logged: 11.873km
Time: 42:48
Average speed: 16.6km/hr
Max speed: 39.7 km/hr
Temperature: -2C to -6C
Cumulative distance: 1083.503km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.11
Monthly distance: 447.181km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Wednesday, 20 February

Down to Bedford for my weekly physio appointment. The roads were pretty clear when I went and it was cold enough that the remaining ice wasn't slick (although Doug wasn't quite so fortunate). I thought I'd try the ravines on the way back but the trees did a stellar job of shading the paths and there's nothing but 2 inches of ice there where people were walking - although if I'd wanted to ride off-trail it was completely clear.

Distance logged: 32.139km
Time: 106:59
Average speed: 18km/hr
Max speed: 52.1 km/hr
Temperature: -3C to 0C
Cumulative distance: 1071.630km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.11
Monthly distance: 435.308km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride home for Tuesday, 19 February

An unseasonally warm afternoon. It was most enjoyable to ride home without a jacket on, though.

The Halifax Cycle Coalition is having its next meeting tomorrow at the Dal Planning and Architecture Building Auditorium, 5410 Spring Garden Road from 7pm. As membership director I'll be taking names and giving... well, memberships. $5 is the minimum joining fee but larger amounts are, of course, most acceptable.

Distance logged: 11.715km
Time: 47:26
Average speed: 14.8km/hr
Max speed: 35 km/hr
Temperature: 6C, sunny
Cumulative distance: 1039.491km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.12
Monthly distance: 403.169km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Tuesday, 19 February

Damp ride in, but at least it wasn't raining.

Distance logged: 11.309km
Time: 34:20
Average speed: 19.8km/hr
Max speed: 49.5 km/hr
Temperature: 7C, foggy
Cumulative distance: 1027.776km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.12
Monthly distance: 391.454km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride home for Monday, 18 February

Intermittent heavy rainfall on the way home with strong winds, fortunately they were largely tailwinds, although a few headwinds hit and I was reduced to first gear on the granny ring. Went to a director's meeting of the Halifax West Green Party after supper, it was headwinds all the way there but I was blown all the way home!

Distance logged: 15.741km
Time: 60:54
Average speed: 15.5km/hr
Max speed: 41.9 km/hr
Temperature: 9-11C, windy, rain
Cumulative distance: 1016.467km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.12
Monthly distance: 380.145km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Monday, 18 February

Wet and windy ride in ahead of the storm system due to hit over the next 24 hours or so.

Distance logged: 11.291km
Time: 36:59
Average speed: 18.3km/hr
Max speed: 47.6 km/hr
Temperature: 3C, rain, windy
Cumulative distance: 1000.726km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.12
Monthly distance: 364.404km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride for Saturday, 16 February

Rode down to the farmer's market for my weekly shop. Encountered the muppet of the day on the way back, who passed so close to me as I was riding round a pothole I had to push off his car so I wouldn't ride into it. He saw me signalling left to turn onto Central Ave so pulled in ahead of me and pulled over and wound his window down and stuck his head out. As I came up he started shouting at me, so I asked him to (a) signal when he overtook another vehicle, and (b) not drive so close. His response was to bounce in his seat (slightly startling for a gentleman that looked to be about 70) and scream that I shouldn't take up "the whole road". I asked him if he saw the 3 foot wide pothole and he just repeated that I shouldn't take up the whole road, then jackrabbited forward and drove off. I was amused that he (a) drove off at an angle and caught the side of his car on my studded tyres, and (b) cut off another motorist and almost hit him. The muppet then stopped halfway up the hill to examine the damage, and as I rode past I asked him if he intended to drive into my studded tyres or not. Unfortunately I didn't catch what he said (though I'm sure it was nothing complimentary) and I didn't feel like asking him to repeat himself, so I just continued on up the hill.

Distance logged: 24.228km
Time: 89:25
Average speed: 16.3km/hr
Max speed: 45 km/hr
Temperature: -12C, sunny
Cumulative distance: 989.435km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.12
Monthly distance: 353.113km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride home for Friday, 15 February

Breezy ride home with lots of headwinds.

Distance logged: 11.818km
Time: 43:44
Average speed: 16.2km/hr
Max speed: 35km/hr
Temperature: 0C, windy
Cumulative distance: 965.207km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.12
Monthly distance: 328.885km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Friday, 15 February

Bizarrely enough, I did the same distance as yesterday morning (down to the metre) but exactly one minute slower, with a max speed for exactly 2km/hr slower. No doubt a numerologist would have a field day there...

Distance logged: 11.004km
Time: 34:08
Average speed: 19.3km/hr
Max speed: 49.7 km/hr
Temperature: -6C
Cumulative distance: 953.389km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.13
Monthly distance: 317.067km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride home for Thursday, 14 February

Nasty ride home into lots of headwinds. The puddles of water that have accumulated from the rain and melting snow today will, I suspect, form ice of glass-like smoothness, along with chunks of black ice.

On the up side, when I got to the butcher's I was told I'd won a slow cooker in a "guess the number of pasta shells in the jar" contest. Now I just need to start reading up on slow cooker recipes...

Distance logged: 13.366km
Time: 51:41
Average speed: 15.5km/hr
Max speed: 41.9 km/hr
Temperature: -1C, windy
Cumulative distance: 942.385km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.13
Monthly distance: 306.063km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Thursday, 14 February

A sudden temperature jump with rain overnight did a pretty good job of melting all the snow that fell yesterday. It also made a nice change to be able to ride in without bundling up first, but it's not going to last - Sunday night is predicted to drop to -18C...

Muppet of the day was the driver who shouted out (what sounded like) "Stock A-list eh!" as he drove past me in the opposite lane. I have no idea what important information this person was trying to impart.

Distance logged: 11.004km
Time: 32:59
Average speed: 20km/hr
Max speed: 51.7 km/hr
Temperature: 8C, light rain
Cumulative distance: 929.019km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.13
Monthly distance: 292.697km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride for Wednesday, 13 February

Went down to Bedford for my weekly physio appointment. Light snow on the way down turned to heavy snow on the way back, making it very slow going. I worked from home today as school was canceled so at least I didn't have to go all the way into Halifax...

Distance logged: 22.035km
Time: 81:06
Average speed: 16.3km/hr
Max speed: 45.8 km/hr
Temperature: -10C to -7C, light to heavy snow
Cumulative distance: 918.015km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.13
Monthly distance: 281.693km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride home for Tuesday, 12 February

Took the fire trail home, it looks like some bobcat operator did a real labour of love and cleared and flattened the whole path, twice! A shame it will disappear with the 11C high that's supposed to hit Thursday, but I appreciated it while it was there.

Distance logged: 13.333km
Time: 55:12
Average speed: 14.5km/hr
Max speed: 39.7 km/hr
Temperature: -6C, sunny
Cumulative distance: 895.980km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.13
Monthly distance: 259.658km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Tuesday, 12 February

Roads are finally pretty well clear, just in time for the rain storm that's supposed to hit tomorrow...

Distance logged: 11.443km
Time: 36:11
Average speed: 19km/hr
Max speed: 53.3 km/hr
Temperature: -10C, sunny
Cumulative distance: 882.647km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.14
Monthly distance: 246.325km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Petition for new rails to trails

There is a petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/cnr_trail/index.html to ask that the abandoned CN rail line be converted to a trail. Please sign it if you think this is a good idea!

Here's the email I received regarding it:

Hello Friends & Neighbours,

As you may know CN Rail is abandoning its railway line from Joseph Howe Drive to Lakeside. HRM Council now has the option to purchase this land, but must do so by March 6, 2008. Please see the newsletter recently sent out by MLA Graham Steele.

This is an amazing opportunity for us to make a really positive change in our community. This is an opportunity to convert rails to trails! You can walk, run, cycle or get out in a wheelchair or mobility scooter to enjoy the eight kilometres of proposed trails. Part of the trail will run adjacent to beautiful Long Lake Provincial Park and will link to existing trails all the way to St. Margaret's Bay. A quality recreational trail will add value to our community and be a great asset for generations to come.

In order for a rails to trails conversion to be considered, City Council needs to know people support this opportunity. Please, please take the time to consider supporting this positive change for our community. To communicate your support to City Council, all you need to do is go to the iPetitions website to sign the on-line petition (www.ipetitions.com/petition/cnr_trail/). Your address, phone number, and email address will not be shared or made public in any way except to HRM Council. Please sign the iPetition asap as a decision will be made by March 6th and we need to show them that there is support for a new recreational trail. Every signature counts so please ask everyone in your household to sign!

Please forward this email and attached information along to anyone you know living in the Springvale, Fairmount, Fairview, West End, Chocolate Lake, or Timberlea areas or to anyone in Halifax you think may support the addition of a new recreational trail. Once people get the chance to sign the iPetition a door-to-door petition will be started in the neighbouring communities listed above. The purpose of the door-to-door visit will be to fill in any gaps left by the those who have not signed the iPetition on-line. If you support the addition of a recreational trail in our community please sign the iPetition asap. If you would like to help spread the word please forward this email along to all your neighbours nd friends who you think may support rails to trials as well. If you would like to help fill in the gaps of the iPetition by doing some door-to-door canvassing in your community please let me know asap. Don't forget to put in your calendar the open house information session organized by HRM staff and their consultants for Mon Feb 18th, 6:00pm - 8:45pm at St. Lawrence Church Hall, 3473 Dutch Village Road (behind the new Shoppers Drug Mart).

In closing, lets seize this opportunity to make a positive change in our community, for now and for future generations.

Kind regards,

Bruce Lusby
blusby@herald.ca

Ride home for Monday, 11 February

Yet more snow during the day but at least it looks like HRM have the snow ploughs out in force.

Muppet of the day was the woman who overtook me then immediately signalled right and had to jam on the brakes for the pedestrian already crossing the road she was turning into. The pedestrian did not take it lightly, and I was entertained by 30 seconds of spleen venting elaborating on how she should watch pedestrians, how she should watch for other traffic, and how getting a piece of paper from a cereal box does not automatically entitle one to drive. I was amused.

Distance logged: 11.445km
Time: 49:05
Average speed: 13.8km/hr
Max speed: 35.8 km/hr
Temperature: -6C, light snow, windy
Cumulative distance: 871.204km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.14
Monthly distance: 234.882km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Monday, 11 February

Nominally -5 but with the wind it was very cold - I had to wear my skullcap and neck gaiter which I normally don't need to -8 or below.

Continuing snow appears to have overtaken HRM's efforts to keep the roads clear. I continue to be amazed by the motorists who think the right approach when the wheels are spinning is to jam the accelerator down further.

Distance logged: 11.305km
Time: 44:34
Average speed: 15.2km/hr
Max speed: 48.3 km/hr
Temperature: -5C, light snow, windy
Cumulative distance: 859.759km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.14
Monthly distance: 223.437km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride for Saturday, 09 February

Down to the farmer's market to pick up my weekly shopping. Still snowing, and I skipped most of the back streets I could after the first one I hit was unridable and I ended up walking half a block!

Distance logged: 25.003km
Time: 99:18
Average speed: 15.1km/hr
Max speed: 47.6 km/hr
Temperature: -4C, light snow
Cumulative distance: 848.454km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.14
Monthly distance: 212.132km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride home for Friday, 08 February

More snow left the roads in even more of a mess. The city doesn't seem to be keeping up with the ploughing too well, I hope the budget isn't running out...

Distance logged: 11.732km
Time: 45:30
Average speed: 15.5km/hr
Max speed: 44.3 km/hr
Temperature: -3C, snowing
Cumulative distance: 823.451km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.15
Monthly distance: 187.129km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Friday, 08 February

No ride yesterday as I was working from home.

Light snow overnight left the roads in a bit of a mess, but I got in eventually.

Distance logged: 11.295km
Time: 44:35
Average speed: 15.2km/hr
Max speed: 38.7 km/hr
Temperature: -10C
Cumulative distance: 811.719km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.15
Monthly distance: 175.397km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride home for Thursday, 07 February

Snow again but at least it wasn't too windy out, I was able to get home without too much interference though it was slow going in places. My rear tyre is definitely in need of replacement.

Distance logged: 11.826km
Time: 52:50
Average speed: 13.4km/hr
Max speed: 37.8 km/hr
Temperature: -3C to -2C, snowing, freezing rain
Cumulative distance: 800.424km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.15
Monthly distance: 164.102km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Wednesday, 05 February

Over to Bedford for my weekly physio appointment, then over to the hospital via the back roads - I didn't feel like riding the Bedford Highway with the ice all built up on either side.

Distance logged: 31.649km
Time: 106:59
Average speed: 17.8km/hr
Max speed: 47.6 km/hr
Temperature: -9C to -6C
Cumulative distance: 788.598km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.15
Monthly distance: 152.276km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Halifax Cycling Coalition Meeting, 7pm, 20th February

From the Halifax Cycle Coalition mailing list:

Hello Everyone,
Alice and I, the co-chairs of the Halifax Cycling Coalition (HCC), are writing to invite you to the next general meeting of the HCC.

The Halifax Cycling Coalition (HCC) is officially a non-profit organization. Many people have come together over the last three months to set Objectives, create By-Laws and make it official. Now it's time to meet, build our membership and let our voice be heard!

Our next meeting will be one you won't want to miss; we've listed the event details, followed by a brief description of the goings on below.

When: Wednesday February 20th. From 7:00 - 9:00
Where: Planning and Architecture Building Auditorium, 5410 Spring Garden Road

There will be greeters on hand to direct people to the auditorium.
For a map, please see this Google map.

Description: This is our first meeting since officially becoming a coalition and will no doubt be a night to remember. The goal of the meeting is to give the public a short history of the coalition, create a membership base and give everyone a chance to meet and discuss our common future.

Membership: Please bring at least $5 in cash to the meeting in order to sign you up for a membership. If this is a problem for anyone, please don't feel discouraged - get in touch with either Alice or myself and we'll make alternative arrangements.

What we need from you: If you?d like to volunteer to help us out that evening, please let us know. We'll need 5-6 greeters to help people find their way through the building. We'll also need several people to help everyone fill out the proper membership forms. Please email either Alice (aamorgan @dal.ca) or myself back if you?re interested!

Extras: We need a logo for our coalition! If you?d like to be involved in this project, please keep your eyes peeled for a future email!

Please bring a mug for coffee or tea and spread this message far and wide - it's time to gear up!

Jared and Alice
Halifax Cycling Coalition

For more information about our coalition, please see http://www.cyclehalifax.ca

RIP Sheldon Brown

Author of probably the best bike web site in the world who shared it out for free, Rest In Peace.

Ride home for Tuesday, 05 February

Snowing on the way home, managed to make it in without incident. There were even sections where I was the fastest vehicle on the road, which was an interesting change. I managed to wear out my rear brakes until the handle was touching the bar and the pad was just generating a vague dragging sensation. I managed to adjust the brakes when I got home but I suspect the pads will need replacing soon. The front wheel looks like it could be due for replacement soon, too...

Distance logged: 11.775km
Time: 46:39
Average speed: 15.1km/hr
Max speed: 38.4 km/hr
Temperature: -3C, snowing
Cumulative distance: 756.949km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.16
Monthly distance: 120.627km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Tuesday, 05 February

Took to road rather than fire trail since it was all iced up and me without a decent tyre. Doesn't look like MEC have any studded tyres according to the web site but I've known that to be wrong before now. I'll have a look tomorrow when Ideal Bikes are open and see what they've got, if not I'll have to order it in...

Distance logged: 11.328km
Time: 37:03
Average speed: 18.1km/hr
Max speed: 50.5 km/hr
Temperature: -10C, sunny
Cumulative distance: 745.174km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.16
Monthly distance: 108.852km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride home for Monday, 04 February

Found out the reason for the extreme slipperiness on the fire trail when I examined my rear tyre and found the central row of knobbies worn down almost to flat. Time to look at a new tyre, I suspect I will have notably better grip after that - I was forced to lay the bike down in what turned out to be a particularly icy spot (downhill, too). No injuries to me but the bike lost a mirror and horn so I'll need a replacement for those.

Distance logged: 12.324km
Time: 61:45
Average speed: 12km/hr
Max speed: 50.3 km/hr
Temperature: -3C, sunny
Cumulative distance: 733.846km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.16
Monthly distance: 97.524km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Monday, 04 February

Slippery ride in, especially where the tracks from the truck were on the fire trail.

Distance logged: 10.994km
Time: 35:31
Average speed: 18.6km/hr
Max speed: 51.2 km/hr
Temperature: -7C
Cumulative distance: 721.522km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.17
Monthly distance: 85.200km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride for Saturday, 02 February

Let off going to the farmer's market till late as there was a wind storm passing overhead. Even so when I got there I had one pannier blow away into the road when I was unpacking everything off my bag. Once I was weighted down with all my shopping it wasn't too bad, and I even managed along the fire trail on all the ice.

Distance logged: 23.318km
Time: 95:46
Average speed: 14.6km/hr
Max speed: 50.3 km/hr
Temperature: 5C, cloudy, windy
Cumulative distance: 710.528km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.17
Monthly distance: 74.206km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride home for Friday, 01 February

Came home via the fire trail again, it looks like a truck's been through laying grit which is nice - the only problem is the tracks on the truck embedded in the ice which is a real pain when my wheels get caught!

Distance logged: 13.379km
Time: 49:41
Average speed: 16.2km/hr
Max speed: 42.5 km/hr
Temperature: -3C
Cumulative distance: 687.210km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.18
Monthly distance: 50.888km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Friday, 01 February

Lacewood is starting to get really chewed up... There was one section that was patched up that has lasted less than a week before reverting to its potholed state. At least my weaving around the potholes encourages drivers to try passing in the passing lane...

Distance logged: 10.983km
Time: 36:20
Average speed: 18.1km/hr
Max speed: 46.1 km/hr
Temperature: -8C
Cumulative distance: 673.831km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.18
Monthly distance: 37.509km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride home for Thursday, 31 January

Went to a HCC board meeting and discussed the issues of the day. Went to a friend's place after to drop some stuff off, then headed home for some much-needed sleep.

Distance logged: 15.305km
Time: 63:54
Average speed: 14.4km/hr
Max speed: 39.4 km/hr
Temperature: -3C
Cumulative distance: 662.848km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.18
Monthly distance: 26.526km
Monthly cost per km: $0

Ride into work for Thursday, 31 January

Distance logged: 11.221km
Time: 38:39
Average speed: 17.4km/hr
Max speed: 51.3 km/hr
Temperature: 0C
Cumulative distance: 647.543km
Cumulative cost per km: $0.19
Monthly distance: 11.221km
Monthly cost per km: $0